Sommaire pour 2023-08-08 de Mercury

JSE-LISTED electronics and electrical engineering company Reunert yesterday advised its shareholders that the company’s ordinary shares would be admitted to trade on A2X, as a secondary listing, with effect from Tuesday, August 15. Reunert will retain its listing on the securities exchange operated by the JSE Limited. Its JSE listing and issued share capital will be unaffected by the secondary listing on A2X. The secondary listing also does not give rise to additional fees or compliance obligations for Reunert. From the A2X listing date, the company’s ordinary shares will be available for trade on the JSE and A2X. A2X is a licensed stock exchange authorised to provide a secondary listing venue for companies and is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the Prudential Authority of the South African…

STANDARD Bank’s decision to shut down accounts linked to Sekunjalo group and related companies, including Independent Media, continues to draw countrywide outrage, with some describing it as an attack on South Africans. The bank served the group with a letter informing it that it would terminate its accounts by August 21. Before this, the bank was ordered to keep the company’s accounts running prior to a final judgment. The interim judgment, which was granted in September last year, was due to come to an end in March this year but was extended by six months. At least 1 600 employees could be left jobless. Neither Independent Media nor Sekunjalo have been found to be involved in malfeasance, leading the company to believe that this decision was political and part of…

The concept of a very important word – “responsibility”– seems to be eroding continually in every facet of the structures that were initiated thousands of years ago with set rules so that we could collectively be referred to, one day in the future, as a “civilisation”. Police services – once formed to keep crime to a minimum – have throughout the world, in an organised manner, degenerated as mostly corrupted. Sports, intended to achieve friendly interaction on a gentle competitive basis between different teams, local, international, have also become brutal and victory depends on the team that controls the most financial resources or can afford the greatest fix. Education is for sale: The highest standards of learning are now promised only to those with big bank balances. The rest must…

I had occasion to visit and do an in loco inspection of the suburb of Clairwood recently. I was shocked, appalled and saddened – but also angry. I recall, as a child, visiting Clairwood and it was a bustling residential precinct with viable infrastructure and a sense of beauty. It is now a dilapidated quagmire of destruction and degeneration. The roads are a sight to behold – not in awe but in frustration over their condition. The proliferation of informal settlements and the squalor accompanying them pervades the area and is a sight for sore eyes. While there is robust commercialisation of the area in terms of the trucking industry – understandable because Clairwood is in proximity to the Port of Durban – it seems there is no control over…

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said the government has significantly expanded the capacity of the Investigating Directorate (ID) and institutionalised its operation as an integral part of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Lamola said the ID, set up in 2019, still needed to broaden its establishment and be capacitated as a permanent structure. “I have already approved regulations that bestow peace-officer powers on ID investigators. These regulations are significant as they provide investigators with the necessary powers to conduct their work,” he said. Lamola was responding to DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach, who asked in a written question, about steps his department has taken to strengthen the work of the NPA in state capture crimes. Lamola said the ID, which deals with serious, high profile or complex corruption cases…

Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale said an additional 10 000 young people between the ages of 18 and 35 are to be trained to serve. The announcement was made at the National Career Expo in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape on Saturday. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the career expo provided the SAPS with the opportunity to expose communities to career paths in the SAPS. “Management also announced that the age limit for recruitment of new trainees has been raised to 35.” She said application forms were available on the SAPS website and will also be available at police stations from this week. Training will begin in April next year. National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola said they are targeting those with a passion for…

GLOBAL trade has supposedly been a force for economic recovery, resilience and near normalisation in the wake of a receding Covid-19 pandemic. But in 2022, says the latest World Trade Statistical Review (WTSR) 2023 released a few days ago by the World Trade Organization (WTO), world trade lost momentum, largely due to the supply chain disruptions due to the conflict in Ukraine and global economic shocks including high inflation, the inevitable monetary tightening and widespread debt distress. WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s optimism that “global trade growth has remained positive”, on the back of a slowdown in its underlying growth trajectory, is tampered by the stark reality that trade growth remains weak in the near term into 2023 due “to numerous downside risks, from geopolitical tension to potential financial instability, which…

Richards Bay and Golden Arrows will go in search of their first wins of the new campaign when they battle it out in the second KwaZulu-Natal Derby in four days. The Natal Rich Boyz, after a poor away defeat last time out, will look to gain stability with a positive result against Abafana Bes’Thende today at the King Zwelithini Stadium at 5pm. Meanwhile, AmaZulu will welcome Matsatsantsa to the Moses Mabhida Stadium for the first time this season tomorrow at 5.30pm, looking to collect maximum points against one of the league’s best teams. Pablo Franco Martin managed his first official match over the weekend against Royal AM, managing what could be a crucial derby point but now faces one of the best-coached clubs in the country in the form of…

Climate change is a real threat to all kinds of life on Earth, and this is based on the scientific fact that the Earth is 2ºC warmer than in the pre-industrial era. As a result of the higher temperature, the Earth’s climate is changing, and much of this change is driven by human activities, particularly the emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere. These are the products of millions of tons of fossil fuel that we burn every day, besides the other millions of tons of hazardous wastes we have been dumping in oceans, seas, rivers and underground over the past decades. The challenge has negatively impacted our planet’s ecosystems and has become an existential threat to humanity. On the other hand, the consequences…

The DA nationwide campaign – #EndSchoolPitToilets – led by DA spokesperson on basic education, Bax Nodada, recently included oversight visits to several iLembe and King Cetshwayo schools in KwaZulu-Natal, where learners and staff are still forced to suffer the indignity of using pit toilets. At Enskeni Primary School, the DA found the principal was forced to fetch water from the river for learners and staff to drink, wash their hands and cook their food. This after the Department of Basic Education (DBE) – which built the school in 1995 – did not ensure it had the necessary water and sanitation infrastructure. While a borehole was donated to the school in 2020, it unfortunately failed soon after. To date, the schools’ letters to the department pleading for intervention remain unanswered, and…

The theft of solar panels is emerging as a new trend as more home-owners and businesses invest in the technology amid ongoing load shedding. As the frequency of the power cuts increased, South Africa saw a boom in small-scale solar installations, and the sale of generators, inverters and modular uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices. Insurance company Auto & General said it had seen an increase in home break-ins and load shedding was one of the contributing factors. “Solar panel theft is an emerging trend, one we are keeping an eye on,” said CEO Ricardo Coetzee. The company said its data covering the first 16 days of January 2022 and January 2023, showed a 40% increase in burglaries during load shedding. Security company Fidelity Services Group said solar panels were…

Community Policing Forums (CPFs) and crime experts have urged members of the public to be cautious if they are forced to defend themselves during home robberies and to bear in mind the legal consequences of their actions. They were responding to questions from The Mercury after two alleged robbery suspects died in separate incidents in Westville and on the Berea. In the most recent incident, last Thursday, ALS paramedics responded to reports of a shooting in Westville North, where a suspect was found dead. ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said the paramedics found multiple SAPS and security officers at the scene with the area cordoned off. “Paramedics were shown to a man believed to have been a suspect who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was in critical condition, and…

Draped in the blue regalia of SSC Napoli, he could have been any 60-year-old Neapolitan cheerfully celebrating his home squad’s Serie A soccer league title. But he wasn’t just anyone. He was Vincenzo La Porta, the Italian fugitive who evaded capture for more than a decade despite being listed by the Interior Ministry as one of Italy’s most dangerous men. On Friday, an online photograph of La Porta celebrating his team’s win on the balcony of a restaurant alerted police to his location on the Greek island of Corfu, where he was intercepted on a motor scooter and arrested after 11 years on the run. “The Carabinieri recognised him in a photo taken on the façade of a restaurant. He wore a baseball cap on his head, a blue scarf…

The time has come for all progressive political parties represented in the National Assembly to put forward legislation that will prevent banks from unlawfully closing accounts of clients based on personal preferences. Recently, Standard Bank issued a notice to Independent Media and other Sekunjalo companies, stating its intention to close their bank accounts. This decision has the potential to cause devastating consequences for more than 1 000 workers and their families. The bank informed the company its accounts would be closed by August 21, following a favourable judgment by the Competition Appeal Court. The announcement sparked shock and outrage from trade unions, political parties, and civil society organisations. It cannot be overlooked that access to a bank account is a fundamental right for all individuals, and Standard Bank’s…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says its new payment system is working and 86% of students were paid their allowances. The chairperson of the NSFAS board, Ernest Khosa, was speaking at a briefing in Hatfield, Tshwane, yesterday. NSFAS has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after various student leaders and student organisations criticised the new direct payment system implemented by the scheme starting in June. Khosa said they had information that showed there were ongoing actions to discredit the system, which included targeted cyberattacks on the websites where beneficiaries’ accounts were hosted. “There is no doubt in my mind that these attacks had the intention to steal student data, intercept allowances, and render the new system unsafe. NSFAS has alerted the relevant authorities and will be investigating…

GREAT news for Durban’s philosopher/revellers. The Street Shelter for the Over-Forties has not closed, as many had feared, it has merely shut its doors temporarily while a new lease is negotiated with the City. I have this on excellent authority. Punters were distressed last week when they pitched to watch the Test against Argentina, only to find the doors to this iconic venue closed. They were also thrown into panic when they realised they would have to find alternative viewing venues. They’ve been going to the Street Shelter so long, they didn’t know if any others still existed. And before ugly rumours begin to circulate that the Shelter is to revert to its former status as a depot for municipal trams, they would be utter nonsense. The Street Shelter could…

I am writing concerning the state of eThekwini Municipality and the serious lack of governance in the metro. As a citizen and councillor, it is concerning for me to see the municipality in a dire state. The blatant disregard for service delivery is alarmingly high and is placing the welfare of the public at risk. Most concerning is that it appears as if those who are entrusted with the responsibility of managing the municipality are failing dismally. I am appealing to the ANC leader- ship at the provincial and regional level to reach agreement on placing the municipality under section 139 intervention and appoint an experienced administrator to manage its affairs. It is evident that independent people are needed to restore order and professionalism in the municipality, given the deep-rooted…

Frustrated Msunduzi Municipality ratepayers say continuing problems with the billing system have left them frustrated as complaints are falling on deaf ears. While there are long-standing complaints about the billing system, ratepayers have complained that the implementation of two billing cycles in one month is compounding the issues. Initially customers received bills at the end of the month, but under the new billing cycle, bills are sent out in the middle of the month and at month-end. Ratepayers who spoke to The Mercury on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said they had seen bills rise sharply since the two billing cycle was introduced. One customer said she had seen her bill more than double in the past two months and blamed this on the double billing system. The…

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela has been appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to serve on his newly formed Scientific Advisory Board, which consists of seven eminent scientists to advise on emerging scientific issues. Deputy President Paul Mashatile, announcing the appointment, said: “You have done our country proud, we are confident that you will fly the national flag even higher. Well done.” Madonsela, a lawyer and currently director of the Centre for Social Justice at the Stellenbosch University Law Faculty, said she was surprised when she was approached about the position. She said she was “deeply honoured and humbled” to be asked to be on the Board. “This appointment underscores the importance of fostering collaboration between the scientific community and decision-makers, addressing the complex moral, social and political challenges presented…

The ANC Women’s League in Kwa- Zulu-Natal has unveiled its new leadership after it held a provincial conference at the weekend. The top five are chairperson Nonhlanhla Khoza, deputy chairperson Mbali Frazer, secretary Zama Sokhabase, deputy secretary Fikile Masiko and treasurer Matozi Dlamini. ANC KZN congratulated the top five and said it had no doubt that the new leadership would emulate those who had come before them. “In their quest to free all of us from the bondage of political oppression, these heroines confronted head-on, the apartheid regime. “Critically, the women of 1956 were united behind a common goal of ushering in political freedom. “It is the same unity that will ensure that the women of today take charge of the agenda of achieving economic emancipation for women and the…

The chant “Kill the boer, kill the farmer” is a vile and contemptuous form of human hatred cloaked under the shadows of freedom of speech. It is indeed a criminal act motivated by bias or prejudice towards a person or group of persons. Hate songs and hate messages are serious violations of our Constitution and a critical violation of international law. Hatred is the most deadly venom in the world today. Racial, religious, and political hatred is spreading across the world at an alarming pace. With multiple crises in the world, and with millions being displaced, humanity should be concerned about volatile statements made by office bearers. It is time for leaders to learn to transcend the differences of religion and ideology. Precursory signs loom, we are witnessing events that…

African solidarity and support are as important as ever THE year 2023 is the year of many anniversaries. On May 25, 54 African countries commemorated 60 years of liberation and unity. It was on May 25, 1963, after the independence of Ghana in 1958 and Algeria in 1959, that leaders from the 30 sovereign independent African countries signed the founding charter to establish the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The aim in 1963 was to support other African countries achieve liberation and independence from colonialism and apartheid. By 2002, all 54 countries were liberated and independent and the OAU was transformed on July 9, 2002 into the AU in Durban. The AU’s theme for Africa Day 2023 is Africa-Opportunities in Challenging Times. On May 2, 2023 the UN Department of…

YOU have to go back to April of 2021 to find a Kaizer Chiefs league victory over Mamelodi Sundowns – that’s over two years of Amakhosi playing second fiddle to the Brazilians. And there is little – if anything – to suggest that the status quo will change anytime soon, at least not tomorrow when the two teams meet in a DStv Premiership clash at the Lucas Moiripe Stadiuum. Since that 2-1 victory at Loftus Versfeld – when they inflicted Sundowns’ first defeat of the 2020/21 season via a Dumisani Zuma winner having seen a Musa Lebusa own goal cancel out Gaston Sirinho’s opener – Chiefs’ best result against the multiple champions was a 1-1 draw in May last year. They were beaten three times in the other games, conceding…